Stories about fortitude in life situations. Strong in spirit: people who have overcome their limitations

By being inspired by the example of strong people, you can achieve success simply because you do not lose faith in yourself. Remember that in the most difficult situations there is a solution. And there are people who have proven that success is achievable, it just takes work sometimes.

Famous creative personalities at the beginning of their creative career often fail. There is no need to go back centuries for examples. Yes, cult director Steven Spielberg did not gain popularity immediately. He made two failed attempts to get into film school and was twice rejected with the words “too mediocre.” By the way, the stubborn director finally graduated from this institution after 37 years. In addition to worldwide recognition, he holds a B.A.

Examples famous politicians They also say that a strong character helps to achieve a lot. For example, Winston Churchill voted the greatest Briton in history, according to a survey conducted by the BBC in 2002. And although a fair amount of time has passed since this survey, in the scale of history the personality of this politician cannot be overestimated. But we are not so interested in him political activity, how much grandiose work on yourself. After all, he became prime minister only at the age of 65, and this was preceded by serious work. This person called the difficulties overcome as realized opportunities.

It is not only in the world of politics that you can meet people who are strong in spirit. Sometimes your calling and your favorite thing help you stay afloat. Famous modern scientist, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking- an example of this. After the diagnosis, doctors believed that he would live only 2 years. However, now his name is well known to many, he has made many discoveries, popularizes science, writes books, has been married twice and has flown in zero gravity. And all this - with paralysis, which at first left him with only a finger on his hand, and today - only one cheek muscle.

Chemist Alexander Butlerov, while a student, he completely started a fire at the university where he was then studying. The reason was a failed experiment by a hapless researcher. As punishment, he was given a “great chemist” sign, with which he had to walk in front of all the students. But years later he truly became a great chemist.

And the inventor of the light bulb Thomas Edison made 1000 unsuccessful attempts before his invention worked. However, he himself did not consider them failures. He claimed that he simply found 1000 ways to make a light bulb. This man was ready to sort through 6,000 materials to find the right one, and was distinguished not only by his efficiency, but by his strong desire not to give up.

You don't have to be a famous singer or a venerable writer to inspire people to move forward. If we talk about heroic resistance to circumstances, we need to remember Nick Vujicic. This man was born without arms or legs at all, with one small appendage instead of a leg. After a difficult childhood and a suicide attempt, Nick took up the cause, and today he speaks to huge audiences, telling people that any life, even accompanied by difficulties, has great value. He, like Stephen Hawking, has a great sense of humor. The first one periodically voices himself in shows and projects using an artificial speech synthesizer, and the second one comes up with funny nicknames for his limb. Here you can read the biography of Nick Vujicic.

Giuseppe Verdi did not enter the Milan Conservatory, where he was advised to find a teacher from among city musicians if he still wanted to study music. Years later, the same conservatory fought for the right to bear the name of the famous musician.

Composer Ludwig van Beethoven received an unequivocal verdict from his teacher: “Hopeless.” And at the age of 44 he lost his hearing. But neither one nor the other turned him away from music or stopped him from writing it.

Sometimes talent needs to be revealed, and others do not see it for a long time. For example, in the biography of the singer Fedora Chaliapin There's a pretty funny episode. Being financially strapped, he went to look for work - as a journalist and singer in a choir. His friend Alexey Peshkov, whom we know as Maxim Gorky. The paradox is that Chaliapin was accepted into the newspaper, but his vocal abilities were rejected, and the future writer Peshkov was accepted to sing, but no talent for writing was discovered. Fortunately, life still put everything in its place.

Attentive readers may have noticed that only men are represented on our list. But this does not mean that history has not known strong women. We have prepared. Remember that the will, the desire to achieve heights in life and at the same time be a worthy person does not depend on age, gender, or anything else. Try, make mistakes, but don't be afraid of mistakes. And don't forget to press the buttons and

Hello))

Having started publishing articles on preparing for the holidays, I no longer want to “leave” the topic of relaxation into household topics, so today’s article will be, especially since there haven’t been similar ones on the blog for a long time)

Although it is difficult to call it purely entertaining, reading about people who, despite numerous failures, achieved their goal is both interesting and educational.

We are all human and we all tend to doubt: is it worth starting our own business, is it worth striving for the goal, will it work out, will we have enough strength? Some people spend their whole life in such turmoil. And some try to do something, but at the first failure they give up: “After all, fate favors only the lucky ones, doesn’t it? How can I belong to their number?

Read interesting stories from the lives of great people. They didn't give up, they respected themselves and showed a lot of wonderful personal qualities. As a result, we achieved a lot.

Thomas Alva Edison

Thomas Alva Edison was initially unlucky: he was youngest child in the family of a merchant who managed to lose all his meager savings. Thomas was sent to school, but after four months the boy was turned out of the door, declaring him a “brainless idiot.”

And he turned out to be amazing person this Thomas Edison, interesting facts- living proof of this. He began to invent toys for himself because his parents could not ask for money for “all sorts of nonsense” and at the age of ten he built a toy railway and a sawmill.

The guy was twelve when he started selling apples on the train, and spent all the money he earned on his passion, chemistry. By cunning or flattery, he won the right to equip a baggage car as a laboratory and learned to print a newspaper (it became the first weekly publication for passengers).

But two years later there was a fire in his carriage. According to one legend, the senior conductor threw the boy out of the train, and the printing press and assorted flasks with retorts followed him. As a result of the strong blow, Thomas lost his hearing, but survived and did not give up.

He never allowed himself to be disappointed or doubtful, which is why his success story is so amazing.

Inventing the famous incandescent lamp, Thomas Edison carried out 1999 (!) experiments and only in 2000 achieved what he wanted.

Once a young man asked him: what does it feel like to be wrong 1999 times? “Young man,” Edison replied, “I have never made a mistake. On the contrary, I invented 1999 ways to avoid making light bulbs.”

The Beatles

The fifties were booming in England. People shook off the ashes of war, they wanted to dance and sing. Musical groups appeared like mushrooms after rain, and many of them played fancy skiffle.

Hooligan John Lennon also wanted to try. He knew how to compose songs, and just at that time the exemplary boy Paul McCartney turned up, he famously strummed rock and roll on the guitar and even knew how to tune it! In addition, he had a friend named George Harrison, also an excellent guitarist. It seemed like all the ingredients for success were there, but he wasn’t waiting for them around the next corner.

Interesting facts for fans and everyone who loves the Beatles .

It wasn’t long before they found “their” fourth participant. His place was occupied by a variety of people, one of them was not even a musician.

Record labels showed no interest in the newcomers, stating that "they sound bad, guitar bands are out of fashion, so there's no future for these guys."

At the Decca recording studio, the Beatles were rejected on the grounds that: “We don’t like their sound. They have no future in the music industry."

During the first tour to Hannover (Germany), the group was deported from the country.

However, producer Brian Epstein believed in his young protégés, and he was completely right.

Walt Disney

They say that dad, who was always unemployed, got drunk and beat little Waltie. He cried from pain and resentment, and his mother read him fairy tales to calm him down. This is probably why, when he was already a 12-year-old boy, he decided to become a cartoonist.

Fate did not want to smile on Waltie for a long time, but he still turned out to be worthy of heading the list of people who did not give up.

Walt drew cartoons and comics, submitting them to various magazines and getting rejected everywhere. And at the age of 18 he got a job as a cartoonist and was kicked out in disgrace “for incompetence.”

Together with a friend, he started his own business, earning “crazy money” ($135), but the business collapsed. Then Walt began drawing cartoons in the garage, however, his first duology about Alice according to Carroll failed. Disney then came up with a profitable character called Oswald the Rabbit. This time the rights to it were stolen by an insidious deceiver.

Walt gritted his teeth and created Donald Duck. And also Mickey Mouse for company. However, everyone was sarcastic about both of them, and in general, criticizing the “mouse studio” became good form, nevertheless, things progressed.

But as soon as decent sums loomed in the accounts, competitors lured away Disney's best animator, his best, long-time friend. And then the resilient Walt broke down. He started drinking, and then decided to take his own life. Fortunately, doctors saved him, allowing Walt Disney's success story to continue.

The animator slowly pulled himself out of depression and financial collapse. I came up with the idea of selling souvenirs with characters from my cartoons, thus receiving money for the production of Snow White. But again, the project ate up all the profits from the souvenirs, and not a single bank would give a loan to Disney. He started drinking again due to a nervous breakdown. Then he finally found five million to continue filming.

He always moved forward through a lot of obstacles. His idea to build Disneyland turned out to be another hassle. Even my brother called the future park a “cheap fair.” But today the name Walt Disney is known all over the world.

He is part of the culture, a founder and innovator in the world of cinema. In addition: winner of 29 Oscars, the Legion of Honor and more than seven hundred other insignia. And he left a billion dollar fortune to his heirs.

Success stories of rich people

Oprah Winfrey

It is impossible to list in a few words all the failures, difficulties, and grievances that fill the success story of Oprah Winfrey. She was able to earn a capital of two and a half billion through... intimate conversations. But I didn’t come to this right away.
Her mother was a frivolous girl of eighteen years old. She gave birth to her daughter “by accident” and disliked her from the moment of birth. She dropped it off at her grandmother’s in the Mississippi wilderness, and she went off to the city to “search for happiness.” Grandmother turned out to be a kind, sensitive and caring person. Thanks to her, the girl’s talents were discovered early: she loved to “interview” animals, and at the age of 5 she gave such heartfelt speeches in church that everyone said: “The Holy Spirit descended on the child!”

But then Oprah was taken in by her grief-stricken mother. They lived in terrible poverty, and on top of that, the girl was repeatedly sexually abused by her cousins from the age of nine. As a result, having matured a little, she couldn’t stand it and ran away wherever she looked. She gave birth and buried a premature baby, wanted to commit suicide, got addicted to drugs and slept with pushers for a dose.

Only when she got to her father’s house did she begin to get back on her feet. And she was even able to make her way onto television, although with great difficulty, at that time a woman with dark skin was considered a lower-class creature. Everywhere she was shown the door as “unsuitable”; for example, Oprah was fired from the Baltimore news because she was too emotional.

Today she is an idol and idol of Americans; her programs are watched with bated breath. And Oprah Winfrey certainly deserves all this.

Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone, “Sly,” was born into a family of poor Italian immigrants, in the creepy New York neighborhood of “Hell’s Kitchen.” The birth was difficult; the baby’s nerve endings were damaged. Therefore, part of his cheeks, tongue and lips remained paralyzed.

He studied at a special school for troubled teenagers, grew up among drug addicts, bandits and prostitutes, having learned a simple truth from childhood: if you want to survive, strike first. Need I say that Sylvester Stallone's success story turned out to be incredibly complex?

Stallone dreamed of cinema: he acted in extras, went to screen tests, wrote unsuccessful scripts, played several “passing” roles... But it was as if no one saw him, he was invisible! His crazy dream of becoming an actor was openly mocked.

Tired of endless lack of money, his wife left him. Sly had only a dog left, and an empty, cold apartment - the heating and electricity were turned off for a malicious defaulter. Then I had to sell my dog to buy food and not die of hunger. Reluctantly, because friends are not sold, he did it - there was nothing to feed the dog. Sly swore that he would buy him out as soon as he got the money.

Where there! He found himself in a dead end, forced to keep warm in public libraries until he finally came up with a script about boxer Rocky Balboa, timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of American independence, although at first they did not want to take the script anywhere.

Finally, a couple of young producers agreed to take a risk and offered $15,000 for the script. But they didn’t need Stallone as an actor who offered himself “in addition.” And he categorically refused any money offered, because he wanted to play Rocky himself.

Time passed, the producers raised the rates: $100,000, $250,000... Sylvester said no. Bent from poverty, he continued to say “no” and eventually achieved his goal - he was hired for the main role, paying the initially offered price for the script.

And Stallone bought back his dog, which was sold for $50, giving the entire fee for it - 15,000.

After the premiere of the film, he woke up famous. Then there were many ups and downs. He is considered the record holder for nominations for the infamous Golden Raspberry. Many whispered that it was better for Sly to leave the cinema. He was declared bankrupt several times and forced to sell his share in the Planet Hollywood cinema for debts.

But, like the beloved heroes of his films, Stallone finds the strength to get up after every fall.

Beyoncé

This is now the beautiful Beyoncé - the idol of millions, one of the highest paid singers, but in the past not everyone recognized her talent. It is worth telling Beyoncé fans interesting facts about her biography.

As part of a girl group, she took part in the most prestigious talent competition on national television. And... she was defeated.

After the first failure, she decided to continue her career only at the suggestion of her parents, for which her father quit his job, and her mother worked on the girl’s image, but everything turned out terribly wrong: the producers either agreed to “take under the wing” of the young Destiny’s Child, then they tore up contracts, the girls mercilessly scandalized among themselves. Beyoncé's parents were so exhausted that they announced a divorce.

And only a few years later the project finally started working. And today her fortune is estimated at three hundred million dollars.

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg's name on the poster of any film is a sign of quality. These days, the author of “Jurassic Park,” “Indiana Jones,” “Jaws,” “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Poltergeist,” “The Terminal” and a host of other great films is known not only to film fans.

And if you like the work of Steven Spielberg, interesting facts from his biography will definitely impress you.

Firstly, he is extremely scrupulous about his name. If he considers the finished film to not meet standards, he will definitely demand that mention of himself be removed from the credits.

Secondly, in his youth he tried to enter the Film School at the University of California, but received low scores on the exams and failed twice.

Deciding to go from the other side, he became a student at a technical college, and in his free time he shot his first short film, which was noticed at the Universal Pictures studio. Since then, Stephen has moved forward confidently.

And Spielbegr still entered the film school, but only 37 years after his first failures))

Examples of strong personalities

Joy Mangano

History knows many strong personalities and examples famous people, whose biography may well be a role model.

One of these is an American housewife named Joy Mangano, a real example of realizing the notorious American dream.

This woman was born with an inventive streak. She lived in poverty, went to work early, and her first job was a veterinary clinic. After watching naughty flea-infested dogs, Joy invented a flea collar that could glow in the dark.

But since I was a teenager, I was unable to bring my idea to life. Instead, it was done by a “senior comrade”, to whom the idea brought millions. The offended girl decided that next time she would definitely grab fate by the tail and become an example of people who achieved success from scratch.

A few years later, already being a mother with three children, she came up with a miracle mop. The device had a cotton rag and a simple wringer mechanism - if you have something similar in your home, then remember that we have to thank the ordinary American Joy Mangano for the self-wringing mop))

For the first batch of one hundred mops, the inventor collected money from friends, humiliated herself and begged. And then... in 20 minutes in the TV store she managed to sell 18,000 pieces. Today they are sold at ten million a year, and Joy has become one of the richest women businessmen - she has built an Empire for the development of useful little things for the household.

Michael Jordan

Each segment of science and technology, art and sports has a unique strong personality– examples of people who are athletes are clear proof of this.

The famous basketball player Michael Jordan did not strive for anything special as a child.

He was lazy, defiant to teachers, and did not study well. He only liked sports. More precisely, baseball, where he achieved excellent results, becoming the champion of his state.

And then he became interested in basketball. But the guy wasn’t tall enough, the coach didn’t believe in the short player and didn’t take him to the senior team.

After being cut from his college basketball team, he went home, locked himself in his room, and cried. However, Michael began to push himself to the limit in the “little league”, deciding to compensate for this with a high jump, which later became his signature and for which he received the nickname “Air Jordan”. Michael even grew ten centimeters.

“I lost almost three hundred games. I missed over nine thousand times. I failed constantly. And that’s the only reason I achieved success,” Jordan would later say.

Now do you understand why you should never give up? Even if life is in full swing and constantly hits you on top of your head, fight, and let the success stories of the rich and famous become a fulcrum for you. Don't listen to those who want to lower your self-esteem.

Einstein said: “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb trees, it will die—confident in its stupidity.”

You can read about the same incredible stories of people, but not so famous, who achieved what they dreamed of in the articles: and.

On March 11, a large-scale festival “Without Borders: Body, Society, Culture”, timed to coincide with the Paralympics, starts in Moscow. It is organized by the social project “BezGranits”, which deals with problems of perception of disability in society. According to the organizers, the point of this festival is to attract as many people as possible to an open, intelligent conversation about the body and disability in the modern world.

P.S.: Our experience shows that sometimes this short story It’s easier to write if you ask your neighbor (or yourself) these questions - but, of course, you can do without them.

1. What happened? How and under what circumstances did your body change?

2. What was the most important thing in your life up to this point?

3. What was happening inside you, in your mind, when you realized that the situation had changed forever?

4. What did your loved ones do?

5. How did you start putting yourself back together?

6. How did you have to change your life?

7. How did you get to where you are now?

8. What should people - any people - understand about their bodies?

Elena Leontyeva

Age: 53 years

What happened: spinal fracture

What he does: Accessibility expert

Elena Leontyeva

In 1988, I broke my spine. At that moment I was studying in graduate school and preparing to defend my dissertation, teaching at the institute. When all this happened... I really wanted to commit suicide. Imagine energetic person who was paralyzed. They turn you over like a log every two hours to prevent bedsores. It seems like life will always be like this. When I asked how long I would be in the hospital, they told me: “Two months.” I thought: “How can you lie in bed for two months?” It turned out not two, but nine. But at the same time, I began to understand how lucky I had always been to have friends: for example, they donated blood for transfusions, they set a schedule and were on duty at the hospital in the first days, until my parents arrived from another city. The patients around me were constantly changing - together with the next patient with a spinal injury, whom the ambulance brought, I had to relive the whole nightmare of the situation each time. But one day a girl was admitted for a second operation. She was in a wheelchair, but she did everything herself, without anyone’s help: she cooked food, did laundry, helped the bedridden. And she always smiled. It turned out that she had a husband and two children. Suddenly, looking at her, I realized that you can live a full life in a wheelchair.

After leaving the hospital, I began to look for people like me. Few people knew about people with disabilities back then. There was no Internet, no necessary information, everyone survived on their own. It was at this time that the All-Russian Society of Disabled People was created. I called and through them began to meet people in a similar condition. Every day I did restorative physical training, read books about disabilities, of which there were very few at that time, and all the time I dreamed of an independent life. I was sure that this was impossible, that I had a wonderful past, but no future. However, soon I met my future husband at a local rehabilitation center - and we decided to live on our own, in a room in a communal apartment. It took a year to adapt to independent life. It was very helpful that although my husband used a wheelchair, he could walk around the apartment on crutches. For example, he could reach the top shelves of a closet. When we got street strollers, we began to leave the house and make forced marches around the city, each time moving further and further from home. Then we passed our license, a “Zaporozhets” appeared in the family, and we got out of the communal apartment. When we moved to a separate one-room apartment in 1993, I told my husband: “A family cannot exist without children.” I gave birth to a son, he will soon be 20 years old.

One day they called me from the institute and asked short biography- they say, what have you achieved in life? And I sit and think: nothing special. But on the other hand, in my everyday life I break stereotypes about disability - why not do some good by doing just that, and make it my mission? I decided to start creating an accessible environment in the city. For example, I collected signatures near the nearest grocery store for installing a ramp. Just at this moment the municipal program “Disabled” was launched. I united the children in wheelchairs and said: “Let’s go talk to the authorities. We and they need it.” We took the text of the program, read it and said: “At this point, at this point, and at this point, we can work together.” We started working. And we work.

You need to understand that God created man, but did not create spare parts for him. Now, for example, I don’t understand people involved in extreme sports. If you are ready to break your back, that is your right, but you also need to think about how much grief this will bring to your loved ones.

Alena Volokhova

Age: 36 years old

What happened: I lost an arm and a leg

What she does: mother of two children, founder and vice-president of the “Fulfilling Life” charitable foundation, assistant to the chairman of the board of the ROOI “Equal Citizen”, model

Alena Volokhova

I had an accident in July 2011 and lost my arm and leg. She quickly came to her senses and six months later she was walking down the catwalk like a real model. After that, she took part in a photo exhibition organized by the Katyusha Society for Support of Parents with Disabilities and Members of Their Families. I always have some projects.

Before the accident, like everyone else, I took care of the house, the plot, the garden, the family, and raised two children. And everything was somehow boring - as if I was leading a life that no one wanted. After the accident, my family were so helpless, they clearly did not understand how to deal with me and how to help me, that I myself decided: I have no right to give up. It's already hard for them. I had to pull myself together. For example, I started doing yoga, inventing asanas and kriyas for myself that would be suitable for people with amputations. I started meditating and saw the world with different eyes. Yoga gave me peace and balance. When I finally realized that I was different from others, I decided to turn this difference to my advantage. She told herself: “I am not just a beauty, but a special beauty.” I started walking in a prosthesis without cosmetic coverage and I’m not ashamed of it, but on the contrary - I want as many people as possible to see that there are people like me.

Every day brings another victory. First, I learned to slide down the stairs from the second floor - and turned it into a game with the children. I was going down a roller coaster, and everyone was having fun. Then I learned to cook and wash floors with one hand. Now I want to learn how to braid my daughter’s pigtails or at least ponytails with one hand! This will be a victory.

Mike Krutiansky

Age: 26 years old

What happened: a long-term non-healing fracture, forced to use crutches

What he does: yacht skipper, pro-rider

Mike Krutiansky

In 2010, we went to a freeride competition by car. The car skidded, and some metal structure on the side of the road smashed my shin to smithereens. Before that, the main thing in my life was alpine skiing - more precisely, off-piste (freeride) skiing. In the summer - kayaking, in the off-season - rock climbing. For two years I did not believe that the situation had changed forever - after all, it was “just a turning point.” I certainly felt bad, but I worked as hard as I could to recover. Then there was a relapse: due to the severity of the fracture and the terrible first operation at the accident site, the bone did not even heal halfway - and was not going back together. Slowly from that moment on, the process of abandoning what for me was, in fact, life began. Skiing was for me both a profession and the key to socialization and personal life, and most importantly, it gave me a taste for life in general. My loved ones helped and are helping me with all their might and means. But what can they actually do? It all depends on whether you can regain your taste for life and accept new circumstances.

I decided to start making money while lying in bed. Money never hurts. But for me, earning money is one of the most boring and depressing activities; it does not bring even the simplest satisfaction. Then I started studying. Spanish, French. I had to change my whole life. I don’t even remember anything that didn’t have to be changed radically. For example, I had to change my house: before, I lived either with a girl in her apartment, or while traveling - in tents, rented apartments in Europe. I had to move with the girl to my parents so that they could all take turns helping with everyday life. And then I got tired of the endless medical work, from Moscow, from the bed. And I decided to change everything completely, go alone to Israel and try to forget about the old things. Why be afraid if you already live at half capacity? I packed the x-rays into a backpack (I couldn’t roll my suitcase - my hands were full of crutches), a couple of changes of underwear, and a computer - and flew away. And as soon as it became possible to walk more or less normally, I went traveling. I stayed in a tent in the Eilat mountains and went diving. When I realized that there was nowhere to improve in diving until the doctor allowed me to put a fin on my sore leg, I went to Europe to study to become a skipper (yacht captain). I can’t say that this is my new super hobby, but it’s such a cool feeling to learn something new, study, travel. And I am almost in no way inferior to completely healthy team members in terms of working on a yacht.

The main part of our body is still the brain. With the help of this relatively stationary component, you can move mountains, the main thing is to understand in which direction.

Mikhail Zhitlovsky

Age: 60 years

What happened: I lost my leg

What he does: entrepreneur, athlete, international master of sports in sambo, master of sports in judo

Mikhail Zhitlovsky

I am a professional athlete; I have competed at a high level in sambo and judo for many years. As a result of several factors, I developed a chronic disease that led to the amputation of my right leg. When all this happened, I immediately began to think about what to live on. I am married, I have children, sons. How can I make sure that I am the one providing for them, and not them? My wife was there all the time; she was very young then, but she has a very strong character, which helped both me and her cope with what happened. But I had to put myself back together very quickly.

I tried to find work in different fields. Before that, I worked as a coach for many years, colleagues suggested that I be a coach in wheelchair sports, but this was more of a managerial job, I was not interested. Wealthy friends offered me work as an assistant, a driver, and I myself was ready to even glue boxes if it gave me income. But in the end I said “thank you” to them and decided that I would try it myself. I started creating for myself workplace: video room in the library where my wife worked, selling publishing systems, then working in real estate. I have also been in the auto business for almost 15 years, and my company has long been one of the leaders in the automotive market in its segment. Now I am again building some new business model.

They promised me that in a couple of years my second leg would be amputated. I understood that then everything would become more difficult. After the amputation I dialed heavy weight, my heart began to make itself felt, and I decided to make an attempt to return, oddly enough, to almost the lifestyle that I led when I was in my best shape. I started with swimming to improve my cardiovascular fitness, then added weight training, then table tennis, and then when my wife and son decided to take up skiing, I decided to join. Without a prosthesis. I drove 10 meters the first time and fell, I drove 15 meters the second time and fell. Then I found an excellent coach and learned to skate very well, even began to compete: at the World Cup, European Cup, and Paralympic Games. Then it became interesting: if I go downhill skiing, should it be water skiing? We got it. And ski slalom turned out well: I take part in competitions both among two-legged people and among one-legged people.

Every person living with two arms, two legs and a healthy spine must understand that this can change at any moment, at any second. But there is no need to be afraid at all: a person with a changed body can do things that ordinary people never dreamed of.

Pavel Obiukh

What happened: I was born blind

What he does: business coach, athlete

Pavel Obiukh

I was born blind. Of course, from childhood I understood that my situation was different from the situation of other people. A very important factor for me was that my loved ones never treated me as if I had any special features: I was raised exactly the same as my sighted brother. In high school, I began to decide what to do in life: I always had enough hobbies. Sports, music, reading - I was interested in a lot. Thanks to this, I constantly met very different people and got involved in what they were doing. As a result, today I work as a business coach for Dialogues in the Dark, and work is my main concern.

I have teacher education, my academic degree is also in pedagogy, so I have always been involved in the learning process: even before the “Dialogues”, in other organizations, I was involved in the development of trainings, mainly social ones. Two years ago, a very good friend of mine said that he was recruiting people for new company, and suggested that I do not social, but business training. I said to myself: “This is another experience, another life experiment” - and decided to try to apply my knowledge and skills in this area. Training in the dark is, of course, special, but darkness is just a tool that we use. The entire training is the transfer of knowledge, experience, and analytical skills.

I still really like to read and am still interested in sports: I go skiing, I have three skydives, and in the summer I go on multi-day kayaking trips. Danger, in my understanding, is a rather conventional thing. The precautions and safety measures I take in some of my activities may sometimes differ from those taken by sighted people. But if the kayak capsizes, both me and the sighted crew member will be saved by our ability to swim. There is no difference here.

Any person should love himself. Someone once said that treating yourself badly is stupid: there are already so many people in the world capable of treating you badly, why should you do it yourself? You need to be in a normal relationship with yourself, and the body in this sense is no exception.

You can send your stories about strong people to:

Strength of spirit is courage, kindness, respect, and love, which a person retains within himself, no matter what. This, in my opinion, is human nature as it should be. This topic has been covered quite often in both literature and cinema; in addition, strong-willed people live among us.

Arguments from literature

(49 words) The first work that came to mind, revealing the theme of the power of the human spirit, is “The Tale of a Real Man” by B. Polevoy. The story is about an ordinary person, an ordinary Soviet soldier, who was able to overcome not only cold, hunger, inhuman pain, but also himself. Having lost his legs, Meresyev overcame despair and doubt, proving that he was capable of anything.
(38 words) Alexander Tvardovsky in the poem “Vasily Terkin” describes a simple Russian guy, a soldier fighting for his country. Using the example of Tyorkin, the author shows the strength of spirit of the entire Russian people. For example, in the chapter “Crossing” the hero swims across an icy river under fire to carry out an order.
(38 words) “Young Guard” by A. Fadeev is another work that tells about the strength of human character, love for the Motherland, principles and unbending will. Despite their young age, the Young Guards did not retreat either from their own fear or from the enemy.
(54 words) A strong-willed person is not always visible at first sight. From his modesty and calmness one may get the feeling that we are facing, rather, a weak personality. The gloomy and silent hero of V. Bykov Sotnikov, in fact, is an example of courage, perseverance, devotion and, of course, strength of character. While undergoing torture, he does not surrender his comrades and does not agree to serve the enemy.
(62 words) Peter Grinev, the main character of A. S. Pushkin’s work, can be called a strong-willed person. Captain's daughter" Grinev faced a difficult choice: on the one hand, service under the leadership of Pugachev, betrayal; on the other hand, death and loyalty to oneself and duty. To preserve his honor, the young man strained all his strength and chose execution over treason. Even having saved his life, he still risked it more than once in order to act according to his conscience.
(44 words) A strong-willed and strong-willed man is the hero of Nikolai Leskov’s work “The Enchanted Wanderer.” The strength of the human spirit here is manifested in the ability to overcome life’s difficulties, not give up, forgive and admit one’s mistakes. Trying to atone for his sins, Flyagin becomes a recruit instead of the son of poor strangers and accomplishes a feat.
(53 words) Compassion is one of the most important qualities strong man, according to M. Gorky. Strength of spirit, according to the writer, is revealed not only in firmness of character, but also in love for people, the ability to sacrifice oneself for others, and to bring light. This is the hero of the story “The Old Woman Izergil” - Danko, who led his people out of the deadly thicket at the cost of his life.
(45 words) M. Yu. Lermontov describes a strong-willed person in his work “Mtsyri”. A persistent character helps the prisoner fight the circumstances in which he finds himself, the difficulties that stand in his way, and go towards his dream. The young man escapes from the monastery and gains short-term, but passionately desired freedom.
(46 words) “Man can be destroyed, but he cannot be defeated.” This is what E. Hemingway’s story “The Old Man and the Sea” is about. External circumstances: age, lack of strength, condemnation are nothing compared to the inner strength of a person. Old man Santiago fought against the elements, despite pain and fatigue. Having lost his prey, he still remained the winner.
(53 words) A. Dumas in the novel “The Count of Monte Cristo” shows the eternal struggle between good and evil; in reality there is a very thin line between them. It would seem that main character who takes revenge on his offenders, who does not know how to forgive, - negative character, but, having got out of the Chateau d'If, he remains generous and kind, helping those who deserve it - these are the qualities of a person with a strong spirit.

Examples from life

(46 words) There are many examples of strong-willed people in the sports environment. Sport builds character and teaches you to never give up. A striking example is the fate of the Soviet athlete, champion Olympic Games, Valery Brumel. Having received a serious injury incompatible with sports, he found the strength to return and achieve high results.
(31 words) Hockey player Valery Kharlamov, whose story was shown in N. Lebedev’s film “Legend No. 17,” had a strong character. Going ahead, despite the pain, achieving the goal is the quality of a strong-willed person brought up by sports.
(49 words) Strength of spirit is also manifested in the ability to enjoy life, no matter what. In the film by O. Nakash “1+1. "Untouchable" main characters help each other reveal their best qualities, preferring not to go with the flow, but to overcome obstacles. A disabled person gains fullness of life, and a poor African American gets an incentive to develop and become better.
(56 words) Strong-willed people are among us. This is confirmed by the romantic comedy “Amelie” by J. Jeunet. Main character- a girl with oddities, but with a strong character. She strives to help people, starting with her own father, ending with a complete stranger to her, a man who lived in her apartment before her. In this pursuit, she forgets about herself, sacrificing her desires for the sake of the happiness of others.
(54 words) In Grigory Chukhrai’s film “The Ballad of a Soldier,” the main character is a young soldier who received leave to see his mother. Despite the goal - to see for yourself loved one– Alyosha Skvortsov cannot pass by people in need of help. For example, he helps a disabled war veteran find family happiness. In this desire for active good, true strength of spirit is expressed.
(45 words) An example of fortitude is Admiral Pyotr Stepanovich Nakhimov, who has not lost a single battle in his entire life. A man of exceptional willpower who sacrificed his own health for the sake of his country. Carrying out orders that seemed impossible, he never complained or grumbled about fate, but silently fulfilled his duty.
(30 words) History of M.V. Lomonosov, the greatest Russian scientist, is known to many. Thanks to his fortitude and loyalty to his ideals, he walked towards his dream on foot from a remote village to become an outstanding world-class scientist.
(51 words) Sometimes nature complicates a person’s life so much that it seems there is no way out at all. Only thanks to the strength of his character, Nick Vujicic, who was born without arms and legs, became known throughout the world. Nick not only gives motivational lectures and writes books, but also leads an active lifestyle: surfing, playing golf and football.
(45 words) JK Rowling is a British writer who gave children all over the world faith in fairy tales and magic. On the path to success, J. Rowling had to face numerous obstacles: no one wanted to publish her novel. However, willpower allowed the woman to follow her dream and make it come true.
(47 words) A person with a strong spirit does not necessarily have to accomplish feats or become famous. My friend is a strong-willed person. She is not afraid of difficulties, believes that they are necessary for character to be formed, tries to help people and animals if she sees that help is needed, does not remember the bad and sees only the good in people.

Trouble does not knock on doors - it bursts into life without asking, without explaining why and for what. It knocks you down, deprives you of the ability to think and feel. To cope with fatal changes, you cannot give up, you need to stock up on courage and boundless fortitude. Unfortunately, many people who fall into tragic situation they give up and plunge into hopeless depression, never finding the strength to accept the new reality.

Maybe they will be helped by examples of people who were able to argue with fate and emerge victorious from this battle.

Little Nick was born into the family of a pastor and a nurse. He came into our world without arms or legs and asked his parents many times what his purpose in life was. According to Nick Vujicic, the boundless love of his parents, faith and sense of humor helped him defeat fate and believe in himself. As Nick grew older, he acquired useful skills, learning to brush his teeth, swim, type on the keyboard, and much more. Today he lives life to the fullest, has a family and two children.

But his main goal was the opportunity to help people gain fortitude and believe in themselves. Nick Vujicic awakens optimism in people and instills hope in them. To do this, he travels around the world with stories about his life, gives lectures, and speaks to various audiences. When the bravest tomboys ask Nick why he doesn’t have arms and legs, he always says confidentially: “Oh! It's all the cigarettes' fault."

This very beautiful and incredibly cheerful woman has her life planned minute by minute for 2 months in advance. She is a beloved wife, mother of two daughters and an active public figure. Ksenia travels all over the country giving motivational lectures and conducting master classes on makeup. She is also a paralyzed disabled person, confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her days.

In 2008, Ksenia received a severe spinal injury as a result of a car accident, which left her unable to walk. At the time of the tragedy, she was pregnant and, according to her, the love for her husband and the tiny creature in her stomach helped her survive the consequences of the accident and find a “new” self, because the old life was gone forever.

Ksenia Bezuglova advises people who find themselves in difficult situations to immerse themselves in work, leaving not a single free minute to whine and feel sorry for themselves. Ksenia herself has become a voice for wheelchair users, lobbies for issues of motherhood, and in 2012 she became “Miss World” among disabled people.

Who said that only those who have ideal opportunities win in this life? The talented actor and favorite of women, Sylvester Stallone, is partially paralyzed in his face and tongue.

These are the consequences of birth trauma and he always knew about them. But this did not stop him from dreaming of a career as an actor and doing his best to achieve his dream. And good actors are not perfect handsome men, but those who know how to act.

For every person who is in love with his business, the situation when he is deprived of the opportunity to do it is a disaster. This is what happened in the life of professional dancer Evgeny Smirnov, when he lost his leg as a result of an accident.

But Evgeniy did not give up and decided to continue dancing! To do this, he needed to re-learn all the breakdancing movements, learn to move and maintain balance in a new way.

Today, as before, he performs on stage with stunningly beautiful numbers, demonstrating determination and willpower.

Baby Madeline was born in Australia with Down syndrome and as soon as she grew up a little, she firmly declared that she wanted to be a model. Who would have thought that she would achieve her goal! Today she advertises handbags, sportswear, wedding dresses and has participated as a fashion model at Fashion Week. According to Madeline's mother, her daughter was able to achieve her goal because she loved herself, believed in herself and saw no obstacles to realizing her dream.

Madeline's path to the world of fashion and beauty was not easy and took time; she had to seriously engage in fitness and lose 20 kg. But now this red-haired and smiling girl walks the catwalk and is photographed for gloss, regularly participates in shows and photo sessions. Instagram became the launching pad for Madeline, which brought the girl fame and attracted the attention of modeling agencies to her. But none of this would have happened without Madeline Stewart’s uncontrollable desire to fulfill her cherished dream.

Andrea Bocelli

Blindness closes the visual world from a person, making colors and images inaccessible to him. But the absence of vision maximally stimulates the development of hearing and touch, makes a person thinner and more vulnerable, and opens his heart to feelings.

Perhaps, thanks to his disadvantage, the Italian singer Bocelli was able to find a way to the heart of every listener, filling his songs with meaning and positivity. Andrea Bocelli is happy with his life, performs a lot, is married and has four children.

The body and face of this dark-skinned woman are flawless, but her beauty is so unusual that it fascinates and does not allow you to look away. Having a magnificent figure and a beautiful face, Chantal dreamed of becoming a model and one day she was determined to make skin imperfections her advantage. Well, the fashion world had already stopped living by strict standards and was ready to accept it.

Today Chantal is a famous fashion model who, in addition to filming in glossy magazines, gives lectures to schoolchildren and unites people suffering from this skin disease.

Olesya always loved sports and was a professional swimmer, reaching the level of a master of sports. While vacationing with a friend in Thailand, they had an accident. The friend died, and Olesya was amputated left hand. Such a tragedy can put an end to not only a sports career, but also one’s entire life. But not this time!

As soon as Olesya got stronger after the operation, she resumed swimming. Thanks to her good results, she was included in the Russian Paralympic team and won 2 gold medals. In everyday life, Olesya prefers to do without a prosthesis; she does everything with her right hand and is not at all embarrassed about it.

These are stories about ordinary people, just like you and me. Despite the fact that the lives and problems of all the heroes are different, they are united by one common quality - self-confidence and a passionate desire to achieve their goals, which help them overcome all obstacles.

When you find yourself in a difficult situation, do not let fear paralyze you; look at obstacles not as a problem, but as an opportunity for growth, and use failures as experience. Let self-confidence become the foundation of your future success.